A's On The Move?

Baseball playoffs - Baseball Beat

October 8, 2000

The possibility of a Bay Area World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics existed heading into the playoffs. Whether that develops, it would be a tame preliminary to a turf battle between the owners of the teams.

The object of the potential scrap: San Jose, Calif. The Giants have it; the Athletics want it.

"Obviously, there has been a three-decade debate on the relationship of the Giants and the A's in the Bay Area, and baseball frankly has attempted to solve it in many different ways over the years," Commissioner Bud Selig said. "It's something I'm monitoring extremely closely, and I continue to talk to both clubs."

The Giants' wildly successful new home, Pacific Bell Park, has exacerbated the tension between the teams, making the Athletics -- 12 miles away on the other side of the water -- feel even more like the Bay Area's stepchild.

Oakland's owners, Stephen Schott and Ken Hofmann, are said by some people in baseball to want to move the team to San Jose or neighboring Santa Clara, or receive permission to sell to someone who would move the team to one of the cities.

Calls to the A's owners seeking clarification of their position were not returned. Jim Young, a club spokesman, said the owners "don't make themselves available to the press."

Peter Magowan, the Giants' managing partner, left no doubt about his position.

San Jose and Santa Clara are in Santa Clara County, he noted, and explained that Santa Clara County is an integral part of the established Giants territory.

"When Schott and Hofmann bought the A's franchise, they knew what territorial rights the A's had and what territorial rights the Giants had," Magowan said.

"Santa Clara County is in the Giants' territorial rights so they can't really go there if we object. If they want to violate our territory, there will be a battle."